Forms: 1 *trieʓ, tríʓ, 4–7 trey, (pl. 4 treyes), 6 treie, traie, (7 trea), 4– tray (pl. 4 -es, 4– -s). [OE. *trieʓ, tríʓ = ON. *trøy, Osw. (Dalecarl.) trø a corn-measure of definite capacity:—OTeut. *traujom. For the form-history cf. HAY sb.1, formerly (3–7) hey, OE. híʓ, ON. *høy, hey, OSw. hø:—OTeut. *haujom. The base trau- is in ablaut-relation with treu-, whence Goth. triu, OE. treow TREE, so that the primary sense may have been ‘wooden (vessel).’
It is remarkable that the word should appear so rarely in OE. and should be so common later. See on the etymol. Holthausen, Indog. Forsch., XIX. 294. E. Lidén ibid., XVIII. 413.]
1. A utensil of the form of a flat board with a raised rim, or of a shallow box without a lid, made of wood, metal, or other material, of various sizes and shapes (round, oval, quadrilateral with rounded corners, etc.); now used for carrying plates, dishes, cups and other vessels, cards, etc., for containing and exhibiting small articles, as jewellery, natural history specimens, etc., and for various other purposes, as in mining, photography, chemistry, or other arts and sciences. (Often with defining word expressing its purpose, as bread-tray, card-tray, tea-tray, etc.: see these words.) Formerly more widely applied to shallow open vessels generally. In 13–14th c., app. also, as in OSwedish, name of a measure of capacity.
10[?]. Lǽceboc, in Sax. Leechd., II. 340. Nim þæt reade ryden, do on triʓ, hæt þonne stanas swiþe hate, leʓe on þæt triʓ innan.
1270. in Sel. Cas. Law Merchant (Selden Soc.), I. 7. Detinuerunt ei quinque marcas et quinque solidos … pro xj. treys [h]ordei sibi venditis. Ibid. (1317), 105. Cum simul emissent xx. treys carbonis maris.
13[?]. Coer de L., 1490. Bye us vessel gret plente, Dysschys, cuppys, and sawsers, Bolles, treyes, and platers.
1374. Acc. John de Sleford (Acc. Exch. K. R. 397/10, P.R.O.). Pro iiij trays de ligno precii pecie .iij. d.
c. 1475–1500. Inv., in Noakes, Worcester Mon. (1866), 173. In duobus vasis de novo factis, vocatis trayes.
1494. Fabyan, Chron., IV. lxix. 48. xii. Cophyns or Treys full of Erth he bare away vpon his shulders.
1553. Eden, Treat. Newe Ind. (Arb.), 18. They … haue theyr meate in great disshes or treys of copper.
1608. Topsell, Serpents (1658), 659. Of a … healthy stock of Hornets … they have gathered three or four trays or baskets full of combes.
1639. Horn & Rob., Gate Lang. Unl., xl. § 434. Implements of a kitchin are … a trivet, a grater, treas, boles, water pitchers, platters.
1674. trans. Scheffer’s Lapland, 93. A kind of trey made of birch.
1848. Thackeray, Van. Fair, vi. Sambo came into the room … with … a note on a tray.
1884. Knight, Dict. Mech., Supp. 893/1. Thomson Battery (Electricity), a modification of Menotti’s battery, in which a copper tray replaces the copper plate, and contains the sulphate of copper crystals, and the superstratum of wet sawdust upon which rests the zinc element.
1885. R. Buchanan, Annan Water, vii. He soon returned carrying the tray, with teapot, cups, and saucers, [etc.].
b. In other uses: † (a.) A mason’s hod or vessel for mortar (obs.); (b) A butcher’s tray: see quot. 1665; (c) A pig’s trough.
1350–1. MS. Acc. Exchequer K. R., Bundle 492. 27 (P.R.O.). Pro vj trayes emptis pro mortero imponendo iij s.
1573. Tusser, Husb. (1878), 37. A lath hammer, trowel, a hod, or a traie.
1573–80. Baret, Alv., T 353. A Treie, or such hollowe vessell … that Laborers carrie morter in to serue Tilers, or Plasterers.
1611. Cotgr., Oiseau … also, a Hodd; the Tray wherein Masons, &c., carrie their Mortar.
1665. Hooke, Microgr., xlvi. 197. Those hollow Trayes, in which Butchers carry meat.
1714. Gay, Sheph. Week, Friday, 65. No more her care shall fill the hollow tray, To fat the guzzling hogs with floods of whey.
c. Ordnance. See quot.
1911. Webster, Tray … a flat or curved piece of metal used to hold ammunition or any part of the mechanism of a gun; specif., in heavy cannon, a brass or steel part (called also plugtray) of the breech mechanism hinged on the rear.
2. dial. A hurdle.
1829. [J. R. Best], Pers. & Lit. Mem., 256. The hurdles or trays as we [in Lincolnshire] call them, in which the sheep are to be penned.
1832. Stamford Mercury, 27 Jan., 2/5. 4 dozen of fence trays.
1851. Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc., XII. II. 402. The field … should be partitioned by ‘trays’ (or hurdles).
3. Part of the life-guard used on tram-cars and similar vehicles, a flat grid on which obstructions are picked up.
1910. (April) Board of Trade Mem., Tramways [etc.] on Public Roads. (4) (c) The tray of the guard should be provided with a spring so as to hold the front edge down to the surface of the roadway when the tray is dropped.
1913. E. T. Ruthven-Murray, Lett., 30 Dec. If the tram-car strikes anything on the track, the gate is pushed backwards and releases a ‘trigger’ (in this case a catch sustaining the tray) which allows the tray to fall so that it slides along on the road and scoops up the obstruction.
4. attrib. and Comb., as tray-board, -load, -man, -monger; tray-like adj.; tray-battery Electr. (see quot.); tray-buggy (U.S.), a buggy having a flat tray-like body; tray-cloth, a cloth or napkin placed upon a tray on which dishes, etc., are carried; tray-galley, in printing, a tray to which the type is transferred from the composing-stick; tray-sheet, a sheet of sheet-iron to be made into a tray.
1884. Knight, Dict. Mech., Suppl., *Tray Battery (Electricity), one in which the tray forms one of the elements of the combination.
1875. Sir T. Seaton, Fret Cutting, 42. The *tray-board should be five-eighths of an inch.
1890. ‘R. Boldrewood,’ Miner’s Right, xviii. A quiet horse and a light *tray buggy.
1897. Westm. Gaz., 25 Jan., 2/1. The poor fellow was borne to his rest on the shoulders of his friends, in a shallow, open *tray-coffin, the dead young face lying among flowers.
1896. T. L. de Vinne, Mozon’s Mech. Exerc., Printing, 407. The long *tray-galley of wood.
1906. R. Whiteing, Ring in New, 115. A small cabinet of *tray-like drawers.
1908. H. Wales, Old Allegiance, i. 13. When the servant had disappeared with the last *tray-load [of supper things].
1764. Poll Knts. of Shire Chelmsford 13th & 14th Dec. 1763. Robert Dolphin *Traymonger.
1891. Daily News, 9 Nov., 2/6. *Tray sheets for stamping purposes.
Hence Traylet (nonce-wd.), a diminutive tray.
1825. Blackw. Mag., XVII. 222. A small napkin-covered traylet, containing a cold sheep’s head.
